Dress-skirt raiser



No. 770,702. i PATENTED SEPT. 20, 1904.

L. SCHLIOHTER. DRESS SKIRT RAISER.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 18, 1903.

NO MODEL UNITED STATES Patented September 20, 1904.

PATENT OFFICE.

DRESS-SKIRT RAISER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 770,702, dated September 20, 1904.

Application filed November 18, 1903. Serial No. 181,715. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

.Be it known that I, LoUIs SOHLIGHTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Dress-Skirt Raisers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to garment supporters, and pertains especially to the class of devices for lifting or elevating dress-skirts and suspending or elevating them out of contact with the ground, so as to prevent sweeping or dragging of the lower edge of the skirt.

The object of the invention is to provide a device composed entirely of elastic webbing, peculiar metallic slide-hangers, a special metallic clasp, and dress-clamps which are simple and inexpensive, of neat appearance, comfortable to the wearer, will not interfere with the skirt or waistband, belt, or any part of the usual wearing-apparel, and which will not disfigure the skirt nor injure the Webbing where the latter is engaged by the metallic parts of the device.

A further object of the invention is to provide a flexible skirt-lifter comprising a belt of ordinary elastic tape or webbing adapted to be worn under or over an ordinary belt or over a waistband, a special clasp for the belt, peculiar hangers slidable on the belt, so as to be positioned at various or any desired places on the belt without removing the latter from the waist; an elastic ribbon or webbing, preferably a counterpart of the belt-webbing and depending centrally from the hangers where it is fixed, and special dress-clamps secured to the depending ends of the ribbon.

As far as known to me skirt-elevators, dress-lifters, and skirt-raisers consist of bars having depending straps and hooks to engage a belt or Waistband and connected by chains or a belt having fixed hooks from which are suspended straps and clamps, all of which are expensive, cumbersome, and unsightly, in addition to being non-yieldable throughout, liable to tear the skirt material where it is clamped, and either suspending the skirt unevenly or making it necessary to twist the skirt to one side or the other and only lifting at one point or another and leaving parts of the skirt unlifted.

Garment-supporters of various character, and especially hose-supporters having belts provided with slidable suspenders, as far as known to me are impracticable as skirt-lifters, mainly because they are not constructed and arranged to be worn upon the outside of the clothing, their several buckles, straps, and

other devices precluding such supporters being employed as dress-skirt lifters.

It is therefore the purpose of this invention to overcome the many and various disadvantages found in dress-skirt lifters and the several objections herein noted relative to the wear and tear on the webbing and the injury and disfigurement of the dress fabric at the points of attachment therewith of the lifters and to supply a skirt-lifter capable of being worn upon the outside of the usual wearing-apparel without disfigure or disorder in the appearance of the apparel when suspending or not suspending a skirt and adapted to be removed or dropped from the waist and replaced in a most convenient and expeditious manner.

With these objects, advantages, and improved results in View the invention consists in the novel arrangement of the suspendingelastics relative to the flexible belt, the peculiar constructionof the slidable hangers carrying the said elastics without buckles,

yet fixed thereto, and special clamps to hold the dress fabric without injuring it.

In the accolnpanylng drawings, forming part of this application, Figure 1 is a view showing the application of the device. Fig. 2 is a perspective view. Fig. 3 is a detail front elevation of the belt-clasp. Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of one of the slidehangers. Fig. 5 is a sectional view of one of the clamps. Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line. 00 m, Fig. 3. Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view on the line 3/ y, Fig. 2. Fig. 8 shows the device applied to a rain-coat. Fig. 9 shows a modified form of clasp.

The same numeral references denote the same parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

The belt 1 is composed of ordinary elastic webbing or tape of any desired width, but preferably of narrow width, so as to present a neat appearance and not to interfere with the usual belt or the waistband, and which is worn either upon the outside of the waistband or under or outside of an ordinary belt, but

preferably on the outside, so as to be conven-' iently placed and removed without disturbing any part of the wearing-apparel, or the belt may be run through loops 2 at the waist-line of a rain or other coat orwrap and when thus worn may or may not be clasped aroundthe waist, so that in removing the coat the lifter or raiser is carried with it. The ends of the belt 1 are provided with a lockingclasp, one part, 3, of which comprises a female member and the other part, 4, of which comprises the male member. These members have slots 5, through which the ends of the belt 1 are passed and secured, a bearing-point 6, overlapping the said secured places, and wings 7 The female member 3 has an elliptical depression2, an opening 3 through the depression, and an upturned lip 8, projecting into the opening. The male member 4 has an elliptical concaved lug 9, adapted to be passed through the opening 3 and be seated in the depression 2. The member 4 has a notch 10 to receive the lip 8'when thus seated to effect locking the members together. It will be seen that the members being composed of thin plate metal and only overlapping sufliciently to permit the engagement of the hip and prong there is no obstruction or interference by the clasp with an ordinary belt or the waist-line of a coat should the same be worn over the belt 1, and where the belt 1 is worn Without a coat or ordinary belt the clasp presents a neat and attractive appear- A modified form of clasp is shown in Fig. 9, wherein the metal cut out for the slots 12 forms tongues 13 to pierce the ends of the belt 1 and be bent down thereon, so as to detachably secure the clasp members to the belt.

The slide-hangers 1 1 are curved or stamped I out in concaved or convexed shape, so as to conform with the curvature of the waist, and have elongations 15, through which the belt 1 extends, whereby the hangers may be moved consists of two plates 19 and 20, having cars 21, through which a pin 22 extends to pivot the plates together, with a spring 23 surrounding the pin and having its ends bearing on the plates. The plate 19 has a smooth-edged flange 24, and the plate 20 has a like flange 25 overlapping the flange 24:,with an interval or space between the flanges for the dressskirt fabric grasped by the clamp. The plate 20 has a neck 26 and a slot 27, in which the end of the elastic ribbon is secured. The edge of the flanges 2 1 and 25 being smooth or without the usual teeth and overlapping each other, the skirt material is clamped in the space between them without being injured or disfigured.

The ribbons being fixed to the hangers and by such fixing given their depending angle, they are not permitted to slide and are always in proper position, so that by using three or more of them with proper adjustment of the hangers a dress-skirt may be lifted or raised and suspended evenly and its entire lower edge elevated above the ground to whatever extent desired, the height of the lift depending upon the place of grasping by the clamps.

It will be seen that the entire device is flexible, affording ease and comfort to the wearer, and the elasticity is evenlyand uniformly distributed throughout and is in such manner imparted to the dress-skirt, so that the latter is given suflicient resiliency to withstand accidental pulling away from the clamps. It will be further observed that a lady entering a house with her dress suspended by the device may release the clamps and clasp and drop the device quickly, so that her dress will be in normal or proper position, or in case the device is carried by a wrap or coat it is removed with the latter. It will be still further observed that the suspending-ribbons do not extend to any extent below the hipline of the dress, but terminate in the neighborhood of such line, so that the lifted portion of a skirt may be folded in above the hips and leave the skirt hanging smooth and straight-from the hips. The ribbons or suspenders being of short length do not interfere in walking and are not prominent when worn.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- A dress-skirt lifter comprising an elastic tape forming an exterior waist-belt and having a locking-clasp, a series of hangers having a slot through the'lower end thereof and concaved or curved to conform with the curvature of the waist and having elongations perpendicular to the slot and slidable on the belt, the elastic ribbons fixed in the hanger-slots and depending therefrom, and the toothless clamps secured to the ends of the ribbons.

In Witness whereof I hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

IIO 

